ElectricLighting–DesignTechniques-Illuminating.PDFVIP

BEST PRACTICES IN LIGHTING PROGRAM 2004 Publication Series 4. Electric Lighting – Design Techniques Peter McLean Electric Lighting – Design Techniques Peter McLean ELECTRIC LIGHTING – DESIGN TECHNIQUES Peter McLean What is the purpose of electric lighting? • To extend the useful hours in the day • To assist the performance of a visual task • To display or reveal something • To control how something appears • To attract attention All of these elements are present in a good lighting design, but the relative importance of each will vary according to the nature and purpose of the space being illuminated. The selection of the lighting equipment is not the lighting design; it is simply the selection of the tools to achieve the design. Too often, selection of the luminaires is the first stage of the process and the lighting design is never done. “Lighting” is good lighting when it provides adequate illuminance to enable the task to be performed efficiently, is perceived as comfortable, and people have a high level of satisfaction. Good lighting design is not simply about achieving a required illuminance on the working plane, it is about creating and controlling the lit environment. Standards often specify lighting in terms of the illumination on the horizontal plane, which is the amount of light falling onto a horizontal surface. (ref Figure 1) This is because it is easy to measure and easy to calculate. It is not a good indicator of the visual environment however, as people generally judge the adequacy of the lighting by the luminance or relative brightness of the vertical surfaces. Figure 1. Illuminance: a measure of the light falling on a surface The luminance is the amount of light that leaves a surface, either by transmission